Learning to Remember
by Kamakazi Ninja
Summary: Find the girl, take her powers, but leave her alive. She still has something I want.”For a moment, the angel thought he saw relief twitch across the demon's eyes. Trigon quickly covered it with a growl. “Consider it done.
1. Chapter 1

A large rumble in the earth made the demons shriek and send their grotesque bodies to run and hide. Fissures erupted in the rocky ground spewing molten lava around the dark cavern as the roar intensified. Yet, amongst the river of magma and the crumbling rocks, an angel walked through the destruction. His mouth twitched in disgust at the horrified demons frantically running around him.

His feet touched the edge of the fissure and he peered into the fiery lake at the pitiful monster below him. It clawed at the sides pleading for escape. At last the master complied.

"Pathetic demon," the angel called, in a voice too loud and too low then it should have been, "I thought you were powerful!"

The monster screamed in agony and began to claw at the sides of the crevice with more vigor.

"You were the mightiest of my servants," the angel continued, "and yet…" He sneered as the demon roared again. "Here you are, defeated by a mere child."

"She…had…help…" The monster howled, as if every word he forced out caused him pain.

The angel laughed, a dark, evil laugh that betrayed his handsome appearance. "Was it the ring of Azar that was smashed? Or were you referring to other four children that accompanied her?"

The demon was silent, and the angel pondered a bit, his wings twitching as if yearning for flight. But he would never fly. Never again.

After making his decision, he outstretched his arm towards the monster. "Rise, Trigon. It is time to prove to me that you are not at worthless as you have made yourself out to be."

Trigon appeared before the fallen angel and, although he stood more than a hundred feet taller than him, knelt down and bowed his head. "Thank you master."

"Do not thank me yet," the angel leered, walking back to his throne, "Your daughter still needs to be taken care of."

Trigon looked up at his master before hastily forcing it down before he could notice. "What will you have me do, master?"

"Take away her powers."

This time Trigon didn't refrain from keeping his head down. "But master, that means…"

"You have not proven yourself worthy of ruling the earth. You will take back what you have given to her."

"But it could kill her, or create devastating results."

"Is this compassion?" the angel snarled, his eyes, blue, burned to blood-red, "How is it, that my strongest demon, feels this emotion?"

"It is not compassion," Trigon quickly assured him, "I was merely…calculating the odds of annihilating her. Forgive me, master."

The angel placed his hand to his face as if suddenly exhausted. "I tire of your excuses. Find the girl, take her powers, but leave her alive. She still has something I want. Something that _you _couldn't retrieve."  
For a moment, the angel thought he saw relief twitch across the demons eyes. Trigon quickly covered it with a growl. "Consider it done."

  


The coldest day of winter had forced everyone into their homes. Jump City, although reaching nearly 110 degrees last summer, had become a baron wasteland of ice and snow.

And even as we speak, children and parents huddle around the warm fire and listen to the arrival of the next snowstorm. The brave, (or foolish) were found outside, making their way through the howling wind and the needle-like hail.

"Ahhh, my eyes! I'll never be able to see again!" Beastboy put his hands to his eyes in a fruitless attempt to keep the sharp sting of the snow out.

Cyborg appeared behind him. "It's not so bad. Stop being a sissy," he laughed, whose metal body easily repelled the blizzard weather.

"I find the snow very fascinating," Starfire commented, trying to catch the snowflakes on her tongue. After all, that's what they all did on TV.

The last of the Titans were found lagging behind the others. Raven was huddled in her thick cloak with her hands cupped tightly around her hot chocolate. But to her dismay, the cold air greedily took the heat before she had a chance to enjoy it.

"I don't know why we're even out here," Raven muttered to her leader. She shivered as the wind blew past her.

"Well, I didn't know it was going to this bad," said Robin, who pulled his coat tighter around him.

"Oh, you didn't?" Raven said in a mock voice, "I seem to recall you were there when the weatherman said there would be _blizzards _and _50 mile-an-hour winds._"

Robin only laughed and placed a hand over her shoulder. "I've learned to never trust the weatherman. I'd say there's only 40 mile-an-hour winds right now."  
She was supposed to come up with a witty remark. She was supposed to coldly shrug off his arm and shoot back some nasty reply. But for the first time in the day, through the fight with plasmas, through the robbery heist they had stopped, and through the suffering walk to get back to the tower, Raven was _warm. _She made a sharp intake of breathe then relaxed, and gave a content sigh.

"Raven? Sighing? Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" said Robin jokingly.

Raven playfully punched him in the shoulder. "Shut up," she shot back. Ok, so not the best of comebacks, she though but this new discovery of warmth was too distracting to think of anything else.

"Ow, that hurt," he mumbled, rubbing his shoulder, "You're so violent Raven."

Raven laughed. It felt good to laugh. It was as if the world had lessoned its grip and for a moment, she could completely enjoy herself.

Unfortunately, the moment didn't last long. A nearby tree levitated in front of them and Raven quickly regained control of herself.

"Sorry," she murmured, the tone suddenly becoming serious. She dug deeper in the folds of her cloak and shivered again, but this time, it wasn't from the cold.

Robin gave a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry about it."

It wasn't fair. Everyone else was able to release their emotions, yet, even after the defeat of her father, she still had to monitor her every thought and feeling. But every effort would be for nothing. Trigon was still alive; she would never be able to fully kill him. He was immortal…

Raven shuddered and stopped walking. "Are you still cold?" Robin asked, although his expression showed that he knew something wasn't right.

"No, I-" She placed both of her hands to her eyes and winced. She felt as if someone had ripped her chakra off her head and smashed it in her face, causing the pieces of glass to wedge themselves into her eyes.

Everything seemed to spin and she reached for a nearby pole to steady herself.

"Whoa, easy." Robin quickly grabbed her arm as she missed and almost fell headfirst in to the concrete. "What happened? What's wrong?"

"I…don't know," she breathed. Her lungs constricted and she found it hard to breathe. Her legs gave out as her muscles painfully tightened. Robin grabbed her other arm and held her up.

Raven heard him call to Cyborg, who quickly ran over and started checking her pulse and heartbeat. Another wave of pain crashed against her and she grimaced. This was too much; she couldn't take the pain anymore.

She almost laughed at herself. So this is how Raven of the Teen Titans was going to die; in the middle of the street from some crazy, unknown reason. Very heroic, she thought bitterly.

Pain erupted from every part of her body, causing her to scream, then everything faded to black.

  


**Read, review, tell me what you think. The next chapter should be up in a few days.**

**-KN**


	2. Chapter 2

A soft beeping noise awoke Raven from her fretful sleep. For a moment, she sat still in her bed with her eyes closed, trying to force the horrible dream out of her head. It certainly was a crazy nightmare. She actually had friends, a family.

She smirked. Like that would ever happen.

Using the sides of her mattress, she pulled herself into a sitting position, only to stop when a horrible throbbing pain filled her head.

"Ow, mom, why does my head hurt so badly?" She squeezed her temples to make the throbbing go away.

No one answered.

The pain lessoned, only slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes. "Mom?" Her arms fell limply to her sides when she found that her mother wasn't there at all, nor was she even in her room.

"Hello?" Still, the room was silent except for the steady beeping of the machines behind her.

Then to her horror, she found that the machines carried wires that connected to her heart, to her neck, and another that actually slid into her wrist. She almost screamed, but quickly regained control of her fear before anything could blow up.

"Calm Raven," she told herself, "Figure out where you are first before you start blowing up everything."

Raven winced as she slid the tube from her wrist then gently pulled the wires off of her chest. A long, high-pitched beep filled the room and she quickly summoned her powers to stop it.

But nothing happened.

Focusing her energy, she reached towards to machine to silence it. Still, the box let out a shrill beep and Raven was forced to stick the wire back on her chest. To her relief, the machine resumed its steady beeping rhythm.

Figuring that she couldn't possibly make any more noise, she slowly climbed out of her bed to stand up. However, as soon as she tried to balance herself, her legs collapsed and she fell facedown onto the hard tile floor. She shakily stood up, feeling the bruise that started to form on her cheek.

But there wasn't supposed to be a bruise. Her powers should have healed it before it even formed.

"My powers," she said sullenly, "They're…gone."

The door to the room slid open and Raven spun around sharply, barely catching herself before she fell again.

"Raven!"

The bright green eyes and fiery hair gave it away. Fighting a Tamaranian would be tough, nearly impossible in her current state and without her powers.

The girl bolted straight towards her and she braced herself for an attack. Reacting out of pure instinct, Raven grabbed the two arms that had enveloped her in a death-like grip and twisted them. The Tamaranian reacted quickly and _flew _over her putting a fist full of green energy inches from her face.

"Why have you possessed Raven?" the Tamaranian said dangerously, "Where do you hail from?"

Usually, Raven wouldn't have been afraid of the small ball of energy the girl held in her fist. She assumed that it was some simple sorcery or harmless magic. The shamans of Azerath often made the balls of energy float to please little children. However, against her beliefs, the Tamaranian's glare convinced her otherwise. Even in the ball of energy was harmless, the girl's exceptional strength was not.

Raven stood to her full height but she doubted it did anything to intimidate her. The Tamaranian easily towered a head above her. "My name is Raven; daughter of Arella and…" She paused a moment before she said his name. "…the demon Trigon. I hail from the planet Azerath. Now it's your turn. Who are you? Why did you bring me here? How did you take my powers?"

Surprise came over the girl's face and she slowly lowered her fist. "Raven?" she asked, as if she didn't believe it was really her.

"Yes, we've established that that is my name," Raven said impatiently. The Tamaranian didn't seem like she wanted to hurt her. "Now, what is yours?"

The girl opened her mouth to speak but quickly shut it.

"Raven."

Raven slowly turned around to become face-to-face with a boy a few years older than her. Her heart fluttered painfully in her chest but she quickly hid it behind a straight face.

"How do you know my name?" she asked uncertainly.

"You're hurt." Ignoring her question, he placed a gloved hand to her cheek where the bruise had formed. Again, something in her stomach squirmed and she shoved his hand away. She shouldn't be feeling this way. She didn't even know him.

"Who are you?"

The boy looked worried. "Raven, you should get some rest. You're powers…"

"No," she cried out, taking a step away from them, "I want answers. Who are you? How did you take my powers?"

"Raven," the masked boy took a step towards her, "I don't know how you lost your powers but…we're you're friends. We won't hurt you."

Raven found herself cornered against the wall with nowhere else to run. "Don't come closer," she threatened. It seemed she was suddenly out of breath and her legs seemed to no longer be able to support her weight.

"Raven-" The boy moved towards her to keep her from falling but Raven put a hand out to stop him.

"Don't…touch me," she warned, falling to her knees. Her eyelids felt heavy. She just wanted to lie down and sleep but she wasn't about to with these strangers.

"What is happening to her?" the Tamaranian asked worriedly.

"I think," the boy said not taking his eyes off Raven, "that without her powers, she isn't used to using so much energy."

Raven forced herself to stay awake but it wasn't working. The carpet felt so soft beneath her. She would only sleep for a little while…

She felt two arms grab her before she fell into another fretful sleep.

  
**Hope you liked. Chapter 3 will be up soon. **

**KN**


	3. Chapter 3

The cold of metal prickled her skin and Raven slowly opened her eyes. For a moment, she almost believed that all yesterday had been a dream. But, disappointedly, she found the wires had somehow reconnected themselves to her, the machine next to her still continued it's steady beeping rhythm, and she her body ached everywhere. It was real. All terribly, horribly, real.

Her eyes rested on the thing that caused her to awaken. She jumped in surprise and quickly yanked her hand away from the robot, sending a sharp pain shooting up her arm.

"Don't worry, Rae, I was just checking your pulse. You're gonna be fine," the robot reassured her.

Rae? She hadn't been called Rae since she was a child. It was nickname her mother used. It had no right to call her that.

"Who are you?" she spat out. She didn't like all these people touching her like she knew them. She didn't like all the machines that connected to her making her feel like a trapped animal. And she especially didn't like that everyone in the world seemed know her name yet she didn't know a single one of there's.

The robot looked confused for a moment, absentmindedly scratching the back plating of its skull. "He had told me about this…"

Raven watched it skeptically. This robot didn't seem very good at its job, it probably was a defect. However, the longer Raven glared at it, the more she was convinced that it wasn't a robot at all. It was, actually, a human. Well, half-human anyway.

She gave a short intake of breath causing it to lift his head. "You don't remember me," it said, holding out its hand, "My name's Cyborg."

Raven glared suspiciously at the metal-plated hand before her. Remember? There was nothing to remember. She had never met him in her life.

"It's ok," Cyborg reassured her, "It's just a handshake."

Ignoring him, Raven looked to the clock on the wall. "How long have I been asleep?"

He quickly withdrew his greeting and turned to a machine on the wall. "It says about fifteen hours. It's funny, I don't think you've ever slept that long since I've known you."

She glared again at him. She had never known him. "How did I get here?"

Cyborg paused for a moment and Raven could almost see the gears in his head working. Literally. "I'm not sure," he finally said, "You never told us."

"Will you stop acting like I know you?!" Raven screamed, mostly out of frustration. She quickly took a deep breath to calm herself and settled the emotion. Cyborg looked like he had been stunned with a lightning bolt.

"I'm sorry Rae, it's just…"

"Don't ever call me Rae," she interrupted, her hands balling into fists.

"Ok, ok," he said putting his hands up, "I'm sorry."

Her teeth clenched. She wasn't getting anywhere. "Where is the older boy and the female Tamranian?" she asked.

"They're both stopping a robbery right now," Cyborg said quickly, turning to machines that showed her vital signs. For a minute, he scanned the screen muttering to himself before he turned to her. "Why did you say 'older boy'?"

"Because," said Raven through gritted teeth, "he _is _older than I am."

"No," he said shaking his head, "You guys are the same age."

She took a long breath to control her temper. Unfortunately, it wasn't working very well. She was quickly getting tired of his lies. "He's at _least _three years older than me," she growled.

The older robot looked more confused than ever. Again, he started with his mumbling then, "How old are you?"

The sudden question surprised her so much that she almost forgot about her anger. Then almost instantly, she hid it behind a carefully placed mask of indifference. "What?"

"How old are you?" he repeated, not taking his hardened gaze off her. His once joking demeanor suddenly turned solemn.

"Why are you asking me? You're machines tell you," Raven replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"They do," he agreed, "But I want to make sure. How old are you?" His stare was starting to make Raven feel uncomfortable and she squirmed on her mattress.

"I'm thirteen," she muttered.

Cyborg sighed and looked like he was about to swear to the heavens. Fear gripped Raven's heart. "What is it?"

"Raven, you're not thirteen. You've been with us for four years. You're seventeen years old."

Raven sighed in relief. This was all some cruel joke and she wasn't going to fall for it. They were trying to get inside her head, trying to control her but she wouldn't let them. "Yeah, and I suppose the Tamaranian is 110 years old, right," she shot back.

"I'm not joking Rae…ven," he corrected himself before she could glare at him again, "Look at yourself." He grabbed a piece of metal and held it front of her so she could see her reflection.

"No…that can't be…" she gasped, touching her face. She had, in fact, aged. Her face had certainly thinned out, as if something had just sucked out all of her baby-fat. Her chin was more pointed, revealing a defined jaw line that went up to perfectly curved ears. Even her hair was longer; just barely going past her shoulders.

Even through the undeniable proof, Raven still couldn't believe what she saw before her. "That's not…That's not me," she stuttered after a few minutes.

"I'm sorry, Raven," Cyborg said gently.

"So you say…that I've just been sleeping for four years?" Her tone was deathly quiet. If she had spoken any louder, she knew that she would lose control.

"No, you were with us. Awake. We were your friends."

"Stop lying to me!" Raven hurled the piece of metal at him where it disappointedly bounced of his chest without leaving a scratch.

She shoved herself off the bed, shakily got her balance, and headed towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Cyborg called after her.

"I'm leavi-- " She was caught in mid-sentence when she opened the door to the to come face-to-face with none other then the boy she had met yesterday. Raven stopped and gave him a sharp glare.

He took one glance before placing his hands on her shoulders. "Raven, what's wrong?"

She replied with a hard shove to his chest but, to her dismay, he didn't budge. She pushed him again yet he still didn't move.

Raven stared fiercely at the boy, then to where his hands connected to her shoulders. "Don't touch me," she growled dangerously. She was trembling from her anger now, her hands were balled so tightly into fists, she could feel her nails dig into her skin.

"Raven…" To her surprise, the boy placed a gloved hand on her cheek. Raven jumped at his touch and gazed at the stranger, unable to move. For a split second it was just him and her, alone in the medical room…

Then without warning, Raven's fist came in contact with the boy's face causing him to stumble back. Raven stood rooted on the spot as if daring him to move again. "I said, don't touch me," she said in a low voice.

The boy tenderly touched his face where she had hit him then, to her confusion, he smiled. His grin broadened until he finally started laughing even though a large bruise started to form on his jaw.

Raven stepped back. This boy was crazy. "I had forgotten how hard you punched," he said. His gaze settled on Raven then shifted to the Cyborg, who had watched the whole thing with awe. "She'll be ok, right?"

Cyborg nodded silently.

The boy left and Raven slumped against the wall, exhausted and out of breath, still trying to grasp everything that was happening. She couldn't be seventeen. It was impossible.

Cyborg had made his way to her and, although her pride strictly forbade it, carried her back to her bed. "Don't worry Raven. Everything will be better in the morning."

She gave a tried glance at the robot and, for a moment, she believed him.

How could any day be worse than this one?

  


**Hope you liked, I reread and rewrote this one a billion times before I put it up. Hopefully it was worth it. Next chapter should be up in about a week.**

**KN**


	4. Chapter 4

Her knuckles hurt in the morning but she didn't care. Actually, everything hurt. Her legs mostly, then her arms, but what seemed to hurt the most a faint beating in her chest, which, with every pulse, sent waves of pain to spread through her body. However, through the steady throbbing pain, Raven felt none of it. Everything was a whirl of sounds and colors that she refused to comprehend. Understanding would mean that she would have to accept the lies that Cyborg had told her and she would _never _do that.

"Raven?" Cyborg's head appeared in front of her but she ignored it. Her blank stare didn't falter or show any signs that she saw him. "Raven." His hand gently touched her skin (or as gently as a robot could touch) and she flinched, finally sending an empty gaze in his general direction.

"You need to get up Raven. You need to walk around, get used to using your muscles again."

She didn't reply, only transfixed her stare back to the clock on the opposite wall.

"I know, you can help me in the garage. That always made you feel better."

She visibly tensed. "That's impossible," she said softly, "I don't even know you."

He sighed, worry etched deeply in his face. "This isn't who your are Raven and you know it. The Raven I knew would never be in denial—"

"Then you must've known a different Raven," she replied quickly, "And it's not denial if it's not true."

He looked frustrated, almost angry with her, his stern glare pierced through her like a needle. However, though as intimidating as he may be, Raven glared right back with the same ferocity.

Then, realizing what he was trying to do, Raven almost laughed. Almost.

He couldn't win. She was _Raven_; the all-powerful, all-knowing, how-dare-you-challenge-her-in-a-staring-contest, Teen Titan. Since when did Cyborg ever beat her in a staring contest? He never—

She blinked rapidly and pulled her face away, mentally punishing herself for thinking such a thing. Fear took over her and she turned away from Cyborg as if looking at him any longer would force more horrible thoughts into her head.

"What's wrong?" Cyborg asked. Raven could hear the smugness in his voice. After all, it's not everyday that you beat the champion.

"N-nothing," she said quicker that she wanted. She steadied her voice and her emotions and tried again. "It's nothing. I just got something in my eye. It's nothing."

She was not a Titan. She was Raven. Just Raven.

Cyborg stared at her; his robotic eye noticing her quickened heartbeat and increased body temperature. She was lying.

"Raven," he started slowly, "Did you…?"

Her head snapped to him. "No. There's nothing to remember."

He frowned, his eye focusing and refocusing but she had quickly recovered herself and he couldn't read anymore into her.

Suddenly, his face lit up and he smiled. "I'll prove that you've been with us for four years."

"And how will you do that? I'm not going to believe all your stories."

"No," he was excited now, nearly jumping out of his seat, "I have a computer hard drive that records all my memories. I'll plug myself to the TV and show you that you've been with us."

For an instant, Raven was frightened. It was easy to deny stories but actually _watching _herself. If it was true, Raven would have to accept _everything. _

"Let's go to the living room. We can watch it there." He stood up and started to the door. "Are you coming?" he asked when Raven didn't move from her bed.

"What, no help or anything?" she said wryly.

He only laughed. "Nope. You need to use your muscles, remember?" His sudden cheerfulness was contagious and Raven almost smiled, just able to stop herself before did.

Shakily, she got out of bed, using the machines for support. Her legs were sore, even sorer now that she was standing up, and it took her a couple minutes to be able to steady herself without holding anything.

She took an unsteady foot forward, then another with every footstep becoming surer than the last. She made it to him waiting patiently at the other side of the door.

"I have a present for you," said Cyborg, obviously hiding something behind his back.

Her face hid all emotion but she couldn't help a feeling of anticipation in her stomach.

Cyborg pulled a piece of cloth from behind his back and handed it to her. At first she thought it was just a worn blanket or an old jacket, but as she unfolded it and ran the cloth through her fingers, she smiled in surprise.

Her cloak.

"Ah, a smile. Haven't seen one of those in a while." Raven shot him a not-so-evil glare as she pulled the cloak over herself with practiced ease. Surprisingly, the cloak wasn't too big. In fact, it was perfect for her seventeen-year-old form.

When cloak was comfortably over her shoulders and hood was securely placed, she followed Cyborg down the winding halls and the unending pathways of the tower. How he had memorized his way through this labyrinth, she would never know.

"Almost there," Cyborg muttered. He seemed to have noticed Raven's lagging walk even though she tried her best not to show it.

When they finally reached the living room, Raven was more than happy to sit down and rest her legs. However, as soon as she looked at the old, stained couch, she had a sudden urge to keep standing.

"Here, sit down," Cyborg said, patting one of the only clean spots near him. Raven sat uncomfortably on the sofa trying not to touch anything.

"This first one is when we started the team, about four years ago."

"_Mind telling me why you're always by yourself?"_ _The view was from Cyborg's eyes and the first screen showed a very dejected-looking Raven. _

_She looked up warily. "You heard the kid. I don't exactly fit in," Raven replied solemnly._

_Cyborg only smiled and put a large hand on her small shoulders. "He's green, half of me is metal, and she's from space. You fit in just fine."_

_Raven nodded, not looking too convinced, but followed anyway. _

Another scene flashed while Raven could only stare wide-eyed at the TV.

"Oh a movie! Tell me, what is the name of this film?" The Tamaranian came in and flew over the couch, sitting daintily next to Cyborg. After looking at him questionably then glancing to an awestruck Raven, she watched the screen. "Oh," she whispered.

"_Fourteen milkshakes. Not a good sign."_ _The gothic teen sat next to Cyborg apparently at loss for words to comfort the half-robot. _

"_What are you doing here?" he said still not making eye contact. _

"_Looking for your car. Soon as we turned Overload in to the police, we all split up to search the city."_

"_Might as well stop looking. T-Car's probably halfway to Metropolis by now." He paused as if recalling a good memory. " From the day I designed her, I knew she was gonna be special. And I worked so hard, every fuel injector, every spark plug, I made her perfect. I put my heart, soul, and circuits into that car. And now she's gone forever." The good memory disappeared and he let his hands fall depressingly into his lap. "Maybe you were right. Maybe it was just a car."_

_Although her mask was carefully placed, one could barely see a hint of concern on her features. _

"_Maybe. Maybe not. When I use my powers, I have to put a little of my soul into whatever I'm moving. I become a part of it, and it becomes a part of me. That's kinda what happened here. It wasn't just a car. It was..." She paused as if contemplating her next words and whether or not it would attack her dignity, "…your baby."_

_Cyborg smiled. "Yeah."_

"Aw, sweet! Movie night!" The green teenager, someone Raven hadn't seen before, morphed into a dog and leapt over the couch. Raven took her eyes off the screen for a moment to look at the changeling who had turned back into a human. Almost instantly, Raven had to urge to throw something sharp and heavy at the boy.

Everything now was unclear and out of focus. The video often fizzled out before rebooting and coming back to something distinguishable. Even the audio was poor; noises were often cut off and it was hard to follow the dialogue.

"_What hope can a mere child have of defeating her all-powerful father?"_

_The small, cloaked girl looked up from her fallen leader and scowled at the demon. "You may have created me…" For a moment everything turned white but slowly, as the camera adjusted to the light, one could make out Raven, now seventeen and clad in a shining white cloak. "…but you were never my father." Light radiated from her hands and she almost effortlessly shot the magic at the demon's chest. _

_The camera finally was still and it focused, showing Raven angrily walking past them. _

"_Wretched, insignificant—"_

"_Fathers are kind! Fathers protect you! Fathers raise you!" Trigon stumbled back from another blast glaring hatefully at the girl. _

"_I was protected by the monks of Azerath. I was raised by my friends. They are my family…This is my home…" Another wave of anger boiled up in her and she blasted him again. "And you are not welcome here!" _

_An enormous white raven was summoned and it towered majestically over Trigon before, finally, swallowing him whole._

_A flash of white blinded the camera and after a few seconds, it refocused. The sky was now a bright blue and the buildings, once shattered and crumbled, were restored to their former glory. _

"_Raven…that was…" The Tamaranian was lost for words, gesturing random movements with her hands. _

"…_Unbelievable," Cyborg finished, his mouth open with wonder._

"_No," answered Raven, the smallest of smile coming to her lips, "It wasn't." She turned to the arriving Robin and threw two arms around his neck in a fierce hug. "Somebody believed."_

"_Welcome back." Robin embraced her tightly, almost as tight as she did him. _

"_Okay," Beastboy cut in, "you're freaking me out here!" Raven quickly composed herself. "The white robe and smile were weird enough, but hugs? Are you still…you?" _

"_Blue is still my favorite color. And don't get used the smile…" her mouth fell to a straight line and her expression was, once again, indifferent, "…'cause you're still not funny." _

Raven let out the breath she didn't know she was holding and turned to Cyborg. "That was…me." It was the most obvious statement in the world and Cyborg just nodded in agreement.

"That's our Raven. Kicking demons' butt and saving the universe," the green boy laughed, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye, "Ah, good times."

"Oh yes Raven! Now that you have regained your knowledge of us, we can go to the mall of shopping and participate in the getting of manicures and pedicures! Then…"

"Woah, Star," Cyborg interrupted, "It's a lot for Raven to take in for right now. Maybe we should hold off on the manicures."

And through all their rambling, they did not notice that Raven had stood up and walked to Robin who was leaning casually on the doorframe.

He greeted her with a warm smile. "Welcome back." She couldn't help but notice the angry bruise that had formed on his cheek when she hit him.

She wanted to say something, wanted to apologize but she couldn't. She only looked with sad eyes at the mask that seemed so familiar yet so…strange to her.

"Hey Rae! You want to help me in the kitchen? We're making waffles!" Cyborg's loud voice boomed through the room, causing Raven to jump.

"Tofu waffles!" the green boy chimed.

"Rae doesn't want no tofu waffles!"

Robin only smiled, urging her to follow them.

"Yes she does! Raven loves tofu! Don't you Raven?"

For that moment, everything seemed normal, as if she had woken up every morning to their fighting, to Starfire's cheerfulness, and Robin's warm smile. Maybe she had. "I'll be the judge of that," she said coolly letting the smallest of smiles that only Robin could see.

"How could you betray me?" Cyborg wailed, throwing his spatula up in mock despair. Determination flashed in his eye, "I'll fix you up right, Rae, you will not be a grass-muncher while I'm in this house!"

Raven rolled her eyes at the forbidden nickname but oddly enough, she didn't seem to mind. Too much.

  
  


**A thousand apologies. I know it is **_**really **_**late but I was grounded. So, being brilliant, I decided to write it on some paper. And, being stupid, I lost the paper. I rerererewrote this chapter so many times I don't even know what draft this is. Meh. Well, hope you guys like, tell me what you think. **


	5. Chapter 5

"We should do it now. She is most vulnerable."

"Be still my trusted servant," the angel replied resting his chin on his hands, "I want to…watch."

Trigon lifted his mouth in disgust. His master always _had _liked to watch humans and their behavior. Now was no exception.

"She will get close to the boy and will be harder to control."

The angel dismissed his statement with a wave of his hand. "She is a half-demon, she will be under my control soon."

Trigon shifted angrily in his position, "The boy has gone to hell for her. He will surely do it again."

At this, he grinned maliciously, "Good. Then we can kill him. And we'll make her watch."

Trigon smiled.

  
  


"Screwdriver."

It was strange for Raven to have never remembered being on Earth yet she could easily distinguish the device from the mass of tools strewn over the garage.

"No, a Phillips."

Raven gave him an annoyed look, but handed the slightly different shaped screwdriver anyway. "How was I supposed to know which one you wanted?"

"I always use Phillips. You should know…" He paused then rolled out from under the car. Raven was still, in the middle of handing him the tool. "Sorry," he apologized quickly.

"It's alright."

They sat in an uncomfortable silence until Cyborg finally rolled back under the car and resumed his work. Raven sighed and closed her eyes. Cyborg had insisted that she often came into the garage to help him or to meditate. At first, she found that unbelievable, but she came to realize that the rhythmic garage sounds and Cyborg's low humming was almost….soothing.

"Cyborg!" A green monkey bounded in and all calm feeling Raven had was lost. "Starfire's going to the store! What ice cream do you want!" The boy was now sitting on top of his car and Cyborg angrily ran at him with his blowtorch.

"What did I tell you about sitting on my car!" he roared. The blue flame came dangerously close to the changeling's eyebrows and he quickly changed into a parrot before screeching and flying away.

Cyborg huffed. "Beastboy, you gotta love him," he said sarcastically.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "And I was…friends with this guy?"

Cyborg laughed. A big hearty laughed that filled the room. "I don't know if I could call you guys friends. Frankly, you thought he was the most annoying thing on earth."

She started to snicker but quickly covered it up with a cough. Cyborg didn't seem to notice.

"Cyborg?" she tried to keep the curiosity out of her voice, "What is Ro…" she paused, rethinking her words. She didn't want to sound _too _interested. "…Beastboy like?"

"Annoying as heck," Cyborg answered automatically, "but he has a good heart. And he's helped us out of a jam more than once."

"And…" she tried to remember her name, "Starfire. What about her?"

He smiled. "She's like the sister you never had. Don't let her 'glorious happiness' fool you, she can be as angry as a bull when it comes to her friends."

"What about, me and Robin?" As soon as she said that, she mentally slapped herself. She didn't mean to add herself; it just seemed to shoot from her mouth. She prayed he wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, she didn't know Cyborg very well.

He chuckled. "_You_ and Robin?" Raven winced. "Man, I couldn't find one of you without knowing that the other was nearby. You two were the best of friends, nothing could separate you guys. Heck if I didn't know any better, I'd say…"

Cyborg grinned then rolled under the car.

"What? You'd say what?" She nearly jumped out of her seat in anticipation.

Surprisingly, nothing blew up.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos," she muttered frantically, rubbing her temples to regain her powers.

"Raven? Why are you chanting?"

She opened her eyes. "You should know, I have to keep my emotions in check, remember?"

"You don't have your powers anymore, remember," he mocked her tone and she glared at him. Then the realization suddenly dawned on her and she froze.

"W-what?"

"You don't have any powers. You can laugh, cry, yell, scream, whatever you want."

All of a sudden, her mouth was dry and her heart was pounding in her ears. She wanted to hug him, jump up for joy and run laps around the room.

Of course she didn't.

Instead, she gave the smallest smile and turned back to the tools, absentmindedly rearranging them in a random order.

"What, that's it? I was sure you were going to flip out or something."

"Don't worry, I am," she replied still smiling, "It just takes a little while to sink in."

Suddenly a shiver shot down her spine and she visibly flinched, dropping the wrench she had in her hand.

"Sorry," she muttered quickly as Cyborg threw a sudden gaze in her direction. Those tools were special to him.

His attention then turned to the boy that had just entered. "Hey Robin," he greeted warmly.

He nodded in response. "I need to fix something on my motorcycle, can I use your tools?"

Cyborg looked at him suspiciously with a glare in his eye. "You promise you won't break them this time?"

Robin defensively crossed his arms over his chest. "That was only one time. And it wasn't even my fault!"

He sighed. "Fine, they're by Raven."

Robin walked over to her and she felt a lump rise in her throat. Then to her surprise, he reached over and grabbed a screwdriver. Maybe it was her imagination but his face seemed to linger in front of hers for nearly half a minute. He smiled then walked back to his motorcycle.

Raven slowly let out the breath she had been holding and closed her eyes. His scent still remained after he left and she deeply inhaled it.

Suddenly she snapped out of her daze shaking her head vigorously to rid herself of the thoughts. She felt like a drug addict that had been reintroduced even though she had quit years ago. It was sinful to look at him that way, she was only thir…

Seventeen. She was seventeen. Of course she was feeling this way. At thirteen she had barely been introduced to hormones, she was so young and naïve. Now, she had gone through most of puberty, it was no wonder that she felt this way. Heck, she was probably attracted to any male that walked past her. Even, if Cyborg wasn't half metal, she might be…

She smiled and shook her head. Ok, maybe not.

Raven looked up to realize that both of the boys where looking at her. "Raven, are you alright?" Cyborg asked.

Her smile faded and she, almost reluctantly, put her emotionless mask on. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking, that's all."

He didn't seem too convinced. "Oh, well, I'm done in here so we could go in the living room and watch TV if you want."

Raven blushed and squirmed in her seat before looking at him again. "Actually, I was going to stay in here…with Robin." She said the last part so quietly that if Cyborg didn't already know what she was going to say, he wouldn't have heard at all.

He grinned, almost mischievously and gave Raven a pat on the shoulder. "Of course."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She crossed her arms.

Cyborg only laughed. "I don't know what you're talking about." Then he left, leaving an angry and slightly confused Raven behind him.

  
**grins sheepishly I'll try to get the next one up soon.**

**KN**


	6. Chapter 6

Thunder boomed across the ocean in one of the most violent storms Raven had ever seen in Jump city.

Wait, that wasn't true…she'd never seen a storm in Jump City. Well…yes she had, but she just didn't remember.

Grumbling, Raven shook the confusing thoughts from her head. Another lighting bolt flashed in the sky and she jumped almost tempted to pull the covers over her head. Cursing her childlike phobia, she shoved the covers off and tiptoed quietly into the hallway.

Where was Cyborg's room again? Surely he would have some comforting advice for the younger girl. She felt silly, being scared of some flashing lights and noises in the rain but it also didn't help that her room was pitch black with shadows that crawled up the walls to trapped her like a frightened child. Cyborg had introduced Raven to her new room yesterday in some hope that the items there would trigger some memory. Unfortunately, the two masks only gave her the feeling that someone was watching while she slept.

Was Cyborg's room this far away? Maybe it was left instead of right. She could always scream, she thought, hopefully Robin would come running. She shuddered at the thought; she needed to get used to this seventeen-year-old mindset.

After what seemed like ages, she came across the metal plated door with the name CYBORG printed on it. She took a deep breath and opened the door only to be blinded by the dozens of computer screens in his room. When her eyes adjusted to the bright glowing light, she tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Cyborg?" When he didn't answer, she slightly shook him, "Cyborg, wake up," she whispered. Still, the metal man kept his eyes shut and it was then, frustrated and a bit frightened, Raven turned to the computers.

State: Recharging/sleep. Battery charged at 63. Estimated time of completion: 4.36 hours.

She left the room quietly, careful not to leave any trace of herself in his room and started back the hallway. So he wouldn't wake up for four hours. Another boom of thunder was heard and she shivered as the noise vibrated throughout the tower.

She had no Plan B; she had fully expected Cyborg to wake up and ease her childish fear. Now, she stood in front of Starfire's door trying to decide whether or not she would get killed if she entered her room. Truthfully, she was afraid of the Tamaranian. She had seen her strength more than once and Raven could almost imagine Starfire squeezing her to death with a simple hug.

After a moment's thought, she dismissed the idea and continued down the hallway. The second door was Beastboy's. No…she thought and quickly sped past his room holding her breath against the toxic gas that oozed from his quarters.

She didn't want to look at the next door for she already knew who's it was. This wasn't Plan B, or Plan C, or even Plan D. She didn't want to destroy her dignity by walking in and asking the boy for his help. But as another lighting bolt struck dangerously close to the tower, Raven's hand moved instinctively to open his door. She paused with shaking hands until fear finally overcame pride and she entered his room.

For whatever reason, it seemed brighter in his room and she had no problem finding the resting hero on his bed. She painstakingly moved her reluctant feet to beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

He sprung up, quickly pulling out a birdarang and Raven let out a little yelp of fear as she stumbled backwards.

"Raven," he quickly grabbed her arm to keep her from falling, "What are you doing here? Do you know what time it is?"

"Yes," she muttered defensively, "but…I was…"

"Were you attacked? What happened?"

"No," she said quickly and a weight settled in her stomach, "I was scared."

"Of what?"

"Of the storm," she mumbled. She waited for his mocking laughter and taunting remarks but to her surprise, neither came. He watched her silently as if waiting for her to clarify her phobia. "Azar died when there was a storm," she explained slowly, "She was fighting Trigon and the lightning struck the plains. Of course Trigon survived, he thrived in the fire, but Azar…she used the last of her magic to put a shield around me. I watched her burn, Robin, and the only thing I remember after that was the lightning that killed her. She died trying to save me and these storms never let me forget it."

"You'll sleep here," Robin said and it was more of a command than a request. But if he had said anything else, she would have rejected his offer and instantly fled. "Don't worry, I'll be here if anything happens." He laid a blanket on the floor and it was then Raven realized what he was going to do.

"You're going to sleep on the floor?" She moved to stop him but he blocked her with his hand.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable," he said.

"But you shouldn't…" she started to protest but was silenced by a raise of Robin's eyebrow.

"I've slept in worse places," he reassured her.

Feeling guilty but thankful, she slid under the Robin's blankets that were still warm and closed her eyes.

"Raven?"

"What?"

He shifted a little on his elbow to face her, "You've been here four years and you never came to tell us that you were afraid of storms. Why not?"

"I don't know," she admitted, "In Azerath, I always stayed up the whole night so I wouldn't have nightmares about them. I'd wait for hours for the lightning to stop and the sun to come out so I could forget."

"Oh, I had always assumed you watched the storms because you liked the rain."

She shook her head, "You know what they say about assuming…" She smiled a bit and Robin grinned.

A silence came between them until Raven sat up again. "You know Robin, I don't want to wake up to you hugging my back in the morning. I may be afraid but I'm not vulnerable."

Robin paused then smiled. "The same goes for you too, Raven."

His statement caused her to blush, "I mean it, Robin. I don't want to wake up with…"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Robin assured her. Raven gazed at him for a moment then, feeling satisfied, she rolled in her bed and fell asleep.

Of course what Robin said was a lie. He had dreamt of it many times.

Sort of an interlude type chapter, sort of light and fluffyish. Don't worry, I'll get to the deeper stuff later.

**KN**


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